In Riverside County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Riverside County, 27.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Riverside County's score
In Riverside County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.8. About three in ten renters (28.2%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 76.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Riverside County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Riverside County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($92,611, 2024) and people with a disability (12.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 76.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.3% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209.7 · 202577th percentile
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- 57.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 22.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,611 · 20248th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Riverside County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Riverside County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Riverside County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Riverside County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Riverside County, California, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Riverside County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 12.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 7.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Riverside County, California.
How Riverside County has changed
Riverside County's population had its largest rise, from 1,507,912 in 1999 to 1,856,542 in 2004.
Riverside County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 2,529,933, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 515,875. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Riverside County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Riverside County more than doubled to 846,070, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 604,689. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Riverside County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,192 | 2024 $92,611 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Riverside County's history
2000
A flood in March 2000 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in July 2015 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in February 2019 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 2,418,185, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A dust devil in August 2024 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Riverside County, 23 of them for flooding. FEMA
Riverside County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Riverside County, in California and Arizona, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Riverside County ranks 4th of the six; La Paz County is highest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 89 | 18.8% | 30.0% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 81 | 12.6% | 23.6% |
| La Paz County, AZ | 76 | 18.7% | 43.0% |
| Riverside County, CA | 70 | 9.8% | 21.3% |
| San Diego County, CA | 44 | 10.1% | 16.2% |
| Orange County, CA | 36 | 9.7% | 12.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Riverside County the poorest county in California?
No, Riverside County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 45th highest of 58 in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Trinity County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Riverside County ranks 18th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Riverside County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Carolyn E. Wylie Center for Children, Youth and Families
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Coachella Valley Housing Coalition
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Credit.org
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Riverside County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Riverside County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.